Chicken Vesuvio

Chicken Vesuvio is an Italian-American dish that originated in Chicago in the 1930’s. The key ingredient is the white wine. Make sure that you select one that you would drink.

Four Tablespoons of Olive Oil

Six White Potatoes, Peeled, Each Cut into 4 Wedges

A Whole Chicken Cut-Up into 8 Pieces

A Teaspoon of Ground Black Pepper

Two Teaspoons of Sea Salt

Two Tablespoons of All Purpose Flour

Six Minced Garlic Cloves

¾ Cup of Diced Spanish Onion

A Jalapeno Pepper, Cored and Seeded, Diced

Two Roasted Red Peppers, Chopped

14 Ounces of Canned Quartered Artichoke Hearts

¾ Cup of Dry White Wine

Two Cups of Low Sodium Chicken Stock

A Teaspoon of Lemon Zest

The Juice of ½ Lemon

A Teaspoon of Dried Oregano

A Cup of Frozen Peas

A Tablespoon of Finely Chopped Fresh Italian Parsley

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Spread the potatoes out on a sheet pan. Brush the potatoes with two tablespoons of the olive oil. Sprinkle the potatoes evenly with a teaspoon of sea salt and ½ teaspoon of the black pepper. Roast in the preheated oven for one hour until the potatoes are golden brown. Set them aside.

Sprinkle the chicken pieces equally with a teaspoon of the sea salt and ½ teaspoon of the black pepper. Heat a tablespoon of the olive oil in a Dutch oven on medium high heat for three minutes. Brown the chicken on both sides in the Dutch oven. Place the browned chicken on a sheet pan and roast it in the preheated oven set at 350 degrees for one hour. Set the chicken aside.

Reduce the temperature of the oven to 275 degrees.

Discard the chicken grease in the Dutch oven but retain the brown bits that have accumulated on the bottom of the pan. Put the Dutch oven on medium heat. Add a tablespoon of the olive oil, the onion, the peppers, the garlic and the dried oregano to the pot. Cook while stirring for two minutes. Add the white wine. Scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen the brown bits that have accumulated. Cook the wine for four minutes. Add the flour. Whisk while cooking making a roux. Add 1 ½ cups of the chicken stock. Continue to whisk until the mixture thickens. Turn off the heat. Taste the sauce and add sea salt and/or black pepper, if desired. Add the artichoke hearts and the chicken pieces to the pot. Loosely cover with aluminum foil and place the Dutch oven in the oven. Cook for one hour. Add the potatoes and cook for an additional twenty minutes.

Remove the chicken from the pot to a serving plate. Add the lemon zest, the lemon juice, the peas and the parsley to the sauce. Stir well. Serve the potatoes, the artichoke hearts and the sauce with the chicken.